It’s 1.30 in the
morning. I’m awake for what must be the earliest start of my life. I don’t want
to be awake at this hour, but I know it will be worth it. The minibus from
Manali to Leh in India’s
northern Ladakh region leaves at 2 and will take a gruelling 18-20 hours. That
much time to cover just 450 kilometres. That spells it out loud and clear; there
are obstacles along the way which are sure to make it a spectacular ride.
Himalayan roads…
--
Manali is a
beautiful place located at the edge of the valley which takes you right
into high altitude. It’s the beginning of the Himalaya,
but it’s still lush with enormous pine trees. Taking the road north, you
quickly ascend from Manali’s 2000 metres above sea level to the first mountain
pass – the Rohtang pass – at around 4000 metres.
It’s just past 2
in the morning, and I’m still thinking I’m going to be able to sleep a bit more…
The needle pin
turns and an adept driver who knows (or seems to know at least) how to make the
turns at the highest speed possible, makes it a real rollercoaster ride. The
French guy Bruno in his green hoodie seems annoyed; sitting across the aisle
from me he’s trying to sleep, but keeps getting thrown off balance enough to
almost make him fall off his seat. Not much rest for Bruno either.
--
I must have
nodded off a few times before our first stop. After some time I notice it
getting lighter. Silhouettes of big mountains are to be seen in every
direction, and I can now finally notice how tight and balanced the driver needs
to be making every turn. There are enough steep plummets around to give you
nerves.
We scale the
Rohtang pass, and get our first chance to stretch our legs in the thin air. I
am in the latter stages of a bout of chicken pox (dear folks, do make sure your
kids get it while still children – much better that way), and I’m feeling a bit
light-headed. High altitude is probably not what the immune system craves right
about now.
We continue. Day
is now upon us, and the view makes the early start all worth while. And now the
driver’s well on form too. He’s quite a young guy, with a glistening earring,
high fluffy hair, pointed shoes, washed out jeans and a greyish shirt with the collar
folded up parallel to his neck. His leather jacket is embracing his seat.
Yes, our driver is Ladakh’s own James Dean from the looks of him, and he’s now treating us to loud
Bollywood songs on the stereo. It is indeed quite enjoyable…
--
From what I can
tell, this Himalayan road contains no traffic signs dictating a speed limit. Plenty
of recommendations though, and these are a real treat with high entertainment
value. “Driving faster can cause disaster”. A neat little rhyme, I suppose. But
they just keep on coming, and I can’t help thinking that whoever coined these
and put them up must have had the time of his life. “Drinking whisky makes
driving risky”. No arguments there… And then my favourite; “Darling, I like
you, but not so fast”…
It’s an unbeatable
combo; greater Himalaya everywhere out the
window, songs about desi boys and
girls for our ears (desi meaning, from my understanding, Indian or south Asian - apologies if that's not accurate), courtesy of our driver, and the
amusing omnipresence of Himalayan traffic signs.
--
Four or five
high mountain passes later, and we’re approaching the final one before Leh.
Taglangla, at 5328 metres above sea level, is the world’s second highest driveable
pass. It’s the same altitude as Everest base camp and we’re in a minibus. From
this point we have to descend nearly 2000 metres to reach Leh, tucked in
between the Zanskar Range and the Karakoram Range,
at 3500 metres above sea level.
[Unbelievable is not it?]
Our driver, the Himalaya’s James Dean, has done this before. As the road
twists and turns downhill making out just about every famous turn and chicane
of a race track, our driver turns his head back towards us as to give us a
subtle warning: “Short-cut”, he says with a big cheeky grin. And with that he sets
off. The road continues right, we go left. We’re going off-road in the Himalaya…in a minibus. We descend hundreds of metres in a
matter of minutes.
--
We finally do
reach Leh. 20 hours on one the world’s highest roads has made for a drive to
remember. I’m exhausted. The driver, of course, looks like he might prefer to
pop by the local rock club rather than resting out.
Unforgettable drive...
[Spot the road if you can...]
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